Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin

"Every now and then I just have to go out and do this extraordinary thing... In fact, I've got a permanent grin on my face mostly all the time when we're touring. I realized that above everything else... above record companies... above films... we were LED ZEPPELIN" (Robert Plant, 1975).

With their music, Led Zeppelin not only revolutionized rock, but paved the way for many new and diverse artists. Artists they have influenced include: AC/DC, Whitesnake, Aerosmith, as well as many bands we hear today. Led Zeppelin was a British band who rarely participated in interviews because the music press did not support the band in their early stages. The band's main connection to their fans was through their records and concerts and they refused to release popular songs off their albums as singles. Led Zeppelin has been referred to as the grandfathers of the "heavy metal" genre and at their height in the early to mid 1970s, they outsold the Rolling Stones in concert tickets. By 1973, they had sold more albums than any other band worldwide. Their most popular song, "Stairway to Heaven," is the most-played song in the history of radio. Led Zeppelin's first album reached number 10 on the charts in 1969, and their popularity continued to grow with each album. They rank second, only to The Beatles in sales.

Led zeppelin formed from the group The Yardbirds in 1968. Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck were also in the Yardbirds and when they quit, Jimmy Page joined the band. Later, the rest of the band quit, leaving only Jimmy Page and the bassist who then looked for vocals and a drummer. They got Robert Plant to join the band who recommended the drummer of his old band, John Bonham. After they joined, the bassist dropped out and John Paul Jones joined in as the bassist. They changed their name to Led Zeppelin and began their tour.

Shortly after their first tour, the band released their first album which was a combination of blues and rock influences with distorted amplification, making it one of the essential records in the evolution of heavy metal music. This record also started the band's career, especially in the United States, where they would frequently tour and become very popular. The second record, simply titled Led Zeppelin II followed in the same style, and included the song "Whole Lotta Love", which would define their sound at the time by John Bonham on drums and John Paul Jones on bass. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were blues fanatics. The band also loved American rock and roll, performing songs originally made famous by Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran. Onstage, Led Zeppelin concerts could last over three hours by adding improvisations to their classic songs.

For the recording of their third record, Led Zeppelin III, the band retired to "Bron-Yr-Aur" which was a remote house in Wales without electricity. This would result in a more acoustic sound which was strongly influenced by Celtic and folk music, also revealing a different side of guitarist Page's talent.

The band's varying musical tendencies were show on the fourth album, which is officially untitled but usually called either Four Symbols or IV. The record included hard rock such as "Black Dog", folksy mysticism on "The Battle of Evermore", and a combination of both genres in the lengthy song "Stairway to Heaven", their massive radio hit. The album winds up with one of their best blues songs called "When the Levee Breaks."

Their next studio record was created in 1973, called Houses of the Holy which featured further experimentation of longer songs, expanded use of synthesizers, and string sections arranged by Jones. With songs like "The Song Remains the Same", "No Quarter", and "D'yer Mak'r" Led Zeppelin were again pushing the limits defining rock music. Their 1973 tour of the U.S. again broke attendance records. At Tampa Stadium, Florida they played to 56,800 fans, and three sold out New York shows at Madison Square Garden were filmed for a concert motion picture, which would be delayed for several years.

In 1974, Led Zeppelin launched their record label called Swan Song. Besides using it as a method to promote their own albums, the band also signed artists such as Bad Company, Pretty Things, Maggie Bell, Detective, Dave Edmunds, Midnight Flyer, and Wildlife.

1975 was the release of Physical Graffiti, their first double album set on the Swan Song label. The album included songs recorded in studio sessions from the last three albums plus new songs. Again the band showed impressive range with songs like "Ten Years Gone", the acoustic "Black Country Woman", the driving "Trampled Underfoot", and the Indian-Arabic styled "Kashmir".

Shortly after the release of Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin's six albums were simultaneously on the top 200 album chart, something that had never before been accomplished. The band embarked on another U.S. tour, playing to record-breaking crowds. To top off the year they played 5 sold out nights at the U.K's Earl's Court. At the peak of their career, Led Zeppelin was the biggest rock band in the world. The band's popularity on stage was impressive, as well as their reputation for their off-stage wildness. Led Zeppelin traveled in a private jet, rented out entire sections of hotels, and became the subjects of many of rockers' famous stories of trashing hotel rooms, sexual escapades, and heavy use of drugs and alcohol.

In 1976, the band took a break from the road and began filming segments for their unreleased concert film. During this break Robert Plant and his wife were in a car crash which broke Plant's ankle. The band was unable to tour so they returned to the studio and recorded their sixth studio album, Presence. Though the album was a platinum seller, it was considered by many to be a disappointing effort. The arrangements of previous albums had been replaced by jams including "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and "Achilles Last Stand". Some critics speculated that the band's excessive lifestyle had caught up with them at last.

In1976, they finally released their concert film The Song Remains the Same and its soundtrack. The concert footage was from 1973 this would be the only